Mozart and the Keyboard Culture of His Time

The Piano Lesson
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Many of the keyboard tutors published in Austria, Germany, France, and England devote a great deal of attention to principles of harmony and voice leading—elements of the art of accompaniment of which all the tutors speak. Keyboard players often had to rely on their mastery of chord progressions and the ability to spontaneously turn the skeleton of a harmonic progression into interesting and varied figurations, whether as a prelude introducing a piece or as accompaniment to a soloist or ensemble. Many of the keyboard tutors, including those aimed at beginners, present these principles of harmony as something to be studied right away by the student pianist. Only the treatises designed for advanced players, such as those by Bach and Türk, give significant attention to the finer details of expression.

continue to The Cult of Mozart

 
Introduction
From Sketch to Completed Work
From Print to CD
How did Mozart Compose?
The Mozart Myth: Tales of a Forgery
Mozart's Images
Mozart's Images Imagined
What the Score Doesn't Tell Us
The Piano Lesson
The Cult of Mozart
Commodification & Kitsch
Credits
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